Cornell UniversityNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Cornell UniversityWed, 16 Nov 2016 09:30:14 +0000Cornell Universityhttp://wrvo.org
Monica Sandreczki Cornell University has picked Martha E. Pollack to be the school’s next president. Pollack is the provost of the University of Michigan and a computer science professor. The search for the new president began after the death of the university’s previous president, Elizabeth Garrett. Garrett died of colon cancer in March after less than a year in office. Pollack is already affiliated with Cornell. She heads the advisory board the university’s partnership with The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and plans to try to improve the public's view of academia. “Yes, academia is being attacked. We have, to some extent, lost the goodwill and the faith of much of the population who no longer necessarily recognizes how very valuable you are, we are," said Pollack. Pollack is the university’s second female president, after Garrett, and said she's used to being one of few women in charge. “When I first started at the University of Michigan, there were more computer science professors whoseCornell picks new presidenthttp://wrvo.org/post/cornell-picks-new-president
96081 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 15 Nov 2016 16:20:43 +0000Cornell picks new presidentJulia Botero This year's drought has left wells dry across the region. After some rain, farmers are wondering when their groundwater will be replenished. The good news is groundwater levels are higher than they've been in months, Cornell University hydrologist Todd Walter told farmers and agriculture leaders in Watertown Wednesday. The bad news, he said, is it could take a couple of good years before the groundwater reaches normal levels. Walter said water tables in western, central and northern New York are lower than they've been in 100 years. It’s going to take a lot of rain, especially in Jefferson County, to fill it back up. “The county has bedrock that is very shallow so you usually need to get the soil completely wet before you start recharging the groundwater. So what that means, in Jefferson County, it doesn’t take that much water to get that wet and start recharging but it doesn’t take very much evaporation to dry it entirely out,” said Walter. There are ways farmers could retainExperts say it could take two years to replenish region's groundwaterhttp://wrvo.org/post/experts-say-it-could-take-two-years-replenish-regions-groundwater
95272 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 27 Oct 2016 08:39:00 +0000Experts say it could take two years to replenish region's groundwaterBeth AdamsThe typically brilliant colors of fall may soon become the latest casualty of the severe drought affecting parts of central and western New York, and the Finger Lakes. Plants cool when water evaporates from their leaves, and when there is little or no rain, that process shuts down. "As a result the temperature of the tissues inside the leaves can reach lethal temperatures; and in that case, they simply die,” said Karl Niklas, professor of plant biology at Cornell University. “They don't have time to process the pigments and other things that are required to give a leaf a beautiful color." Niklas expects the lack of fall color to be most evident in areas of the state hardest hit by the drought. He says in other places, such as the upper Adirondacks where there has been more steady rainfall, the fall foliage should produce normal to good color. "It's very difficult to predict, and I think it's going to be very, very patchy,” he said. “The patchiness is going to reflect how much rain Drought may cause drab fall foliage http://wrvo.org/post/drought-may-cause-drab-fall-foliage
93922 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 22 Sep 2016 08:47:00 +0000 Drought may cause drab fall foliage Gabe AltieriA proposal to reword a swimming ban at Ithaca natural areas to make it easier to understand is on hold. The city's Common Council wants to focus on education and outreach about the dangers of swimming in these areas instead. But education isn't always easy. It's something Todd Bittner has been focused on at Cornell University. He's the director of Natural Areas for Cornell Plantations and has spent most of the last decade encouraging safety at these areas. One of these areas is Fall Creek Gorge. Memorials line a viewing area next to the gorge in remembrance of people who died there. The water looks fine from the outside, but that can be deceptive. Bittner says undertows and other factors pose a danger. "The water conditions change constantly," He explains. "[There are] hidden obstacles under the water that you can't see: trees, shopping carts, bicycles." In fact, Bittner and others know about the hazards are because of accidents at the gorge. "The principle reason that we know aboutEducation on dangers of swimming in Ithaca Gorges difficulthttp://wrvo.org/post/education-dangers-swimming-ithaca-gorges-difficult
92343 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 15 Aug 2016 08:39:00 +0000Education on dangers of swimming in Ithaca Gorges difficultBret Jaspers Binghamton resident Sara Hopkins wants her good, used clothes to have a second chance. But there are some she simply doesn't donate. "I'm honestly not sure the best way to get rid of ratty old clothes, [like] old gym clothes with holes in them," she said in her home on the city's east side. "I don't know how to recycle those, so they usually end up going in the garbage." It turns out a lot of ratty old clothes -- and plenty of not-so-ratty ones -- don’t end up at Goodwill or the Salvation Army. They find their way into the trash. "Tons, and I actually mean tons of textiles gets tossed every year," said Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace. She wrote the book, The Story of Stuff. "A very small percentage of that is recovered; only about 15 percent." That’s right, just 15 percent of textiles are recovered each year, according to the EPA. Textiles as a category includes things like shoes, carpeting, and stuffed animals. But clothes are a big chunk, and it's a problem. LeonardHow not recycling old clothes can hurt the environmenthttp://wrvo.org/post/how-not-recycling-old-clothes-can-hurt-environment
88495 as http://wrvo.orgSat, 14 May 2016 11:34:00 +0000How not recycling old clothes can hurt the environmentEllen Abbott Planting season is getting underway in central New York. And for farmers it means another year when the changing climate can make or break a growing season. But farmers aren’t sitting still when it comes to dealing with the more severe weather that comes along with a warming climate. Farmers try to find ways to deal with more severe weatherhttp://wrvo.org/post/farmers-try-find-ways-deal-more-severe-weather
87980 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 02 May 2016 08:36:00 +0000Farmers try to find ways to deal with more severe weatherBret Jaspers Cornell University Elizabeth Garrett died of colon cancer last night, according to Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Harrison. Cornell president dieshttp://wrvo.org/post/cornell-president-dies
85480 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 07 Mar 2016 19:57:18 +0000Cornell president diesSolvejg Wastvedt Roxanne Mourhess says the milk trucks roll by her antique store every day. The store is a 150-year-old former church on the main drag in Campbell, New York, a small town near Corning. The store is just down the street from the weathered, light blue grocery store. In the other direction, a Kraft plant puffs out steam by the railroad tracks. Mourhess couldn’t believe it when she heard that the plant was slated for closure. “Your immediate reaction is, ‘Oh my gosh, another manufacturing industry in our town, and thus our country, is not going to be here,’” she says. The facility employs almost 400 people. The newly merged Kraft Heinz Company planned to close it and three other plants in upstate New York. The state halted the other closures with an incentive deal, but Kraft Heinz rejected a deal for the Campbell plant, according to the Corning Leader. Instead, the company will keep it open for 12 to 24 months and help look for a new owner. “We were at the abyss, and now we’re 12 to 24Despite trends, upstate's not done yet with manufacturinghttp://wrvo.org/post/despite-trends-upstates-not-done-yet-manufacturing
81721 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 09 Dec 2015 08:46:00 +0000Despite trends, upstate's not done yet with manufacturingGrant ReeherMany political observers have expressed deep concerns about how America’s response to the threat of terror has affected our democracy, and the rights that secure it. This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher talks with Cornell professor Sidney Tarrow, who has written a new book that takes an expansive, historical look at how war, state authority, and democracy interact. They explore the effects of the creation of a new American “security state” post 9-11, what lessons we might draw from other nations’ past experiences, and what’s different about our current situation. Sidney Tarrow on the Campbell Conversationshttp://wrvo.org/post/sidney-tarrow-campbell-conversations
80771 as http://wrvo.orgSun, 15 Nov 2015 22:52:52 +0000Sidney Tarrow on the Campbell ConversationsBret JaspersThe Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, will certainly affect dairy farmers in New York state. But will it affect consumers? Of the 11 other Pacific Rim nations in the agreement, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have robust dairy industries that want to export more products to the U.S. The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec produce roughly the same amount of milk as New York state. That estimate comes from Andrew Novakovic, who teaches agricultural economics at Cornell University. Canada could “theoretically, hypothetically [have] some ability to undercut our beverage milk sales from local sources in the U.S. if certain conditions were just right for them,” he said. But Novakovic isn’t fearful that we’ll see much milk coming from our northern neighbor. “My great expectation is that this agreement will not create a new opportunity for them,” he said. Still, Novakovic wants to read the actual language of the accord when the text is released in November. Australia and New ZealandTPP not likely to lead to huge change in dairy Industry, says experthttp://wrvo.org/post/tpp-not-likely-lead-huge-change-dairy-industry-says-expert
79201 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 13 Oct 2015 19:04:15 +0000TPP not likely to lead to huge change in dairy Industry, says expertSolvejg Wastvedt The education programs that serve New York’s prison population are streamlining the path to a college degree. Private organizations offer college classes in 19 state facilities. Now several of the groups have formed a consortium to help students make it to graduation day. In the past, transfer to a new prison often meant the end of an education for people working on their degrees. Many facilities don’t offer college programs. And even if they do, there are uncertainties: Will credits transfer? Are spots in the program open? “Those are questions that we get asked actually regularly,” says Cornell University Prison Education Program director Rob Scott. “It’s regular policy of prisons to start moving people around because they like to keep people on the move and not in groups that associate.” The Cornell program is in the new consortium. Scott says those questions are hard to answer because education programs in New York prisons are run by different groups. He hopes the partnership willNY prison education programs team up to streamline college degrees http://wrvo.org/post/ny-prison-education-programs-team-streamline-college-degrees
76678 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 17 Aug 2015 10:13:36 +0000NY prison education programs team up to streamline college degrees Matt Richmond Today is Cornell University’s 150th anniversary. Its charter was signed in Albany in 1865. One of the school’s founders, Ezra Cornell, was a farmer and made veterinary science a priority. This is the story of the career of the first doctor of veterinary medicine to graduate from Cornell. Daniel Salmon was 18 years old in 1868 when he traveled to Ithaca to go to college. Today the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell is a sprawling maze of labs, barns and hospitals. Back then it was much simpler. “There was just one academic building in the very beginning,” says Donald Smith, former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Cascadilla Hall was there for students and faculty as a residence and there was very little else except a farm, a working farm.” Salmon’s doctorate from Cornell University was the first awarded in the U.S. The bacteria salmonella was named after him, though his assistant Theobald Smith actually discovered it. And Salmon helped found veterinary colleges inHow improved veterinary science led to discovery of salmonellahttp://wrvo.org/post/how-improved-veterinary-science-led-discovery-salmonella
71649 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 27 Apr 2015 09:30:00 +0000How improved veterinary science led to discovery of salmonellaSolvejg Wastvedt Many working parents may find it hard to imagine a daycare center right in the same building as their job. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) wants to change that. She has introduced a bill to increase tax breaks for businesses that build onsite child care. Having child care at work could make a big difference for parents like Stephanie Walsh. Walsh says sometimes she barely leaves the house in over a week. She used to go to work every morning, as an accountant at a Southern Tier construction company. But then she had her son Jacob. When Jacob was born, Walsh quit her job. Now she has a five-month-old, too, and she’s a stay-at-home mom. If she’d kept working, she says, “My income, a good portion of my income, would have been taken up with daycare.” It made more sense for her to stay home. Cornell University professor Mildred Warner sees a problem here, and it’s not on Walsh’s end. Walsh’s husband makes enough to support the family. Warner says it’s a business problem. She says forCan on-site daycare help combat the problem of worker 'presenteeism?'http://wrvo.org/post/can-site-daycare-help-combat-problem-worker-presenteeism
70055 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 24 Mar 2015 08:57:00 +0000Can on-site daycare help combat the problem of worker 'presenteeism?'Matt Richmond A Tompkins County-based group of investors is nearing completion of an unlikely project -- an industrial-scale wind farm. It would be made up of seven turbines and produce up to 12 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a few thousand homes. Marguerite Wells is the project manager of Black Oak Wind Farm, which at this point is just a field with a wind measuring tower outside of Ithaca. But, according to Wells, the hard part of getting a wind farm built there is already behind them. “The earliest investors – it was very strongly a pitch about this is the right thing to do because we had no permits, no contracts, nothing at that point and it was very much a speculative investment, very high risk,” says Wells. If built, it’ll include seven turbines and produce up to 12 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a few thousand homes. An organic farmer by trade, Wells started working on the project eight years ago. She has shepherded it through the entire environmental impact process.Tompkins County wind farm would be first of its kind In New Yorkhttp://wrvo.org/post/tompkins-county-wind-farm-would-be-first-its-kind-new-york
69468 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 10 Mar 2015 09:49:10 +0000Tompkins County wind farm would be first of its kind In New YorkGino Geruntino A thiamine deficiency might be to blame for a recent die-off of steelhead trout in the Salmon River.The Department of Environmental Conservation says it began receiving reports about steelhead trout swimming erratically and dying in the Salmon River and other rivers off Lake Ontario last month. Three fish were sent to Cornell's Aquatic Animal Health Lab, where research scientist Rod Getchell examined the fish for diseases."We did our normal work up, looking for bacterial pathogens, viral pathogens, things like fungus or heavy parasite loads," Getchell said. "And we did not find any of those things in the three steelhead trout that were brought to us."He says a thiamine deficiency is likely the culprit, and believes the deaths may be caused by a diet that can deplete the vitamin's levels, causing the behavior."They feed on alewives, and that's a baitfish," Getchell said. "And that baitfish contains a lot of thiaminase, so the enzyme that breaks down this vitamin."The DEC also has beenFish die-off on Salmon River could be caused by vitamin deficiencyhttp://wrvo.org/post/fish-die-salmon-river-could-be-caused-vitamin-deficiency
65874 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 22 Dec 2014 10:06:00 +0000Fish die-off on Salmon River could be caused by vitamin deficiencyRyan Delaney It’s a rainy late fall day in New York City and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is crowded. Even Walter Liedtke, one of the museum’s curators, has to vie for viewing space. As he tells the story of a once debated Rembrandt painting, he has to shuffle to the side to make room for some patrons. "I can’t really see it on the surface, but in X-rays there’s been a lot of discussion as to whether this picture was longer on the bottom," he described, before being interrupted. Studying the weaves of the canvas is done by shooting x-rays through the layers of paint and exposing what’s behind the image most only glance at on the wall. Looking behind the paint, Cornell professor finds hidden patternshttp://wrvo.org/post/looking-behind-paint-cornell-professor-finds-hidden-patterns
65419 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 11 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000Looking behind the paint, Cornell professor finds hidden patternsRyan Delaney New York’s dairy industry likely won’t see more of the good times next year farmers experienced in 2014, largely because dairy prices and profits are expected to level off. Andy Novakovic, a professor of agriculture economics at Cornell University, says dairy markets in New York are already starting to decline to be in balance with the rest of the world, "but we have quite a bit of altitude to lose before we get to where the rest of the world is," he said. This was a great year for the dairy industry, he said. "The curious thing is, in 2014, we saw the price of milk increase and we saw the price of feed decline," he said. "And that created this wonderful profitability situation." He adds: "In a way, it was sort of like the price of milk didn’t get the memo. The supply and demand balance was still kind of reacting to the agony of a couple years earlier." But he predicts milk prices will drop next year to fall in line with the price of corn. "Unfortunately, that condition is rapidlyDairy farmers will likely milk smaller profit from their cows next yearhttp://wrvo.org/post/dairy-farmers-will-likely-milk-smaller-profit-their-cows-next-year
65427 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 11 Dec 2014 10:31:00 +0000Dairy farmers will likely milk smaller profit from their cows next yearMatt Richmond In a decision released last week, the highest court in New York ruled that local governments can ban drilling within their borders. And while hydrofracking remains on hold in the state, the ruling is expected to have a huge impact on the industry in New York if fracking is eventually permitted. The dean of the law school at Cornell University, Eduardo Penalver, helps explain the court's ruling upholding local bans on gas drilling in New York. Hydrofracking decison may impact more than just oil and gas industryhttp://wrvo.org/post/hydrofracking-decison-may-impact-more-just-oil-and-gas-industry
58546 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 08 Jul 2014 20:22:28 +0000Hydrofracking decison may impact more than just oil and gas industryRyan Delaney Earning a varsity letter in high school for playing sports will mean better jobs and increased philanthropy later in life. That's the consensus of new research from Cornell University. Two coinciding studies looked at the success of people who played a sport in school. The first asked potential employers and co-workers to look at extra-curricular activities of potential hires. The employers favored athletics over other activities, like marching band, as former athletes stood out for their perceived personal qualities. The study, a survey of 66 employed adults, found the employers assumed those who played sports have more self-confidence and leadership qualities. About four in 10 high school students play a sport. Lead researcher Kevin Kniffin of Cornell University says the second study looked at men a half century after their playing days. "Certainly the research suggests there are important benefits that accrue across a person’s life well past high school for participating in sports,Playing youth sports a sign of career success?http://wrvo.org/post/playing-youth-sports-sign-career-success
57642 as http://wrvo.orgFri, 20 Jun 2014 14:22:00 +0000Playing youth sports a sign of career success?Matt Martin Cornell University’s state-of-the-art particle accelerator won’t face a loss of funding for the next few years at least. The National Science Foundation will spend $100 million to keep the synchrotron running. Cornell’s High Energy Synchrotron Light Source, or CHESS, is one of only two of its kind in the United States. CHESS uses high intensity x-ray and radiation to test hypotheses in physics, biology, and chemistry. The lab will now receive $100 million over the next five years. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) visited the CHESS lab earlier this week to announce the funding. “People who work here can plan their research, not just for a year but for the next five to ten years without a sudden cut or down in support," says Schumer. "It means the federal government believes that Cornell, and the CHESS lab in particular, are worthy of substantial investment. And it means that the work done here is a national priority.” Schumer says this type of research is necessary because it leads to newCornell synchrotron gets $100 million shot in the arm from NSFhttp://wrvo.org/post/cornell-synchrotron-gets-100-million-shot-arm-nsf
54692 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 23 Apr 2014 10:44:48 +0000Cornell synchrotron gets $100 million shot in the arm from NSF